Springwork.



No.773,041. I 1 M PATENTED 001.25, 1904.

J. A. STAPLES.

' SPRINGWORK.

. APPLICATION nun) rm. 11, 19bs. no 301131.. w 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 773,041. Q N PATENTED 001". 25, 1904, J. A. STAPLES. Y

SPRINGWORK.

AP PLIUATION FILED FEB. 11, 1903.

no MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented October 25, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.-

JOHN A. STAPLES, OF NEWBURGH, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO STAPLES & HANFORD COMPANY, OF NEWBURGH, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 773,041, dated October 25, 1904.

A plication filed February 11, 1903. 7 Serial No. 142,940. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN A. STArLns, a citi- Zen of the United States, residing at Newburgh, in the county of Orange and State of New York, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Springwork, of which the following is a specification.

Myv invention relates to springwork for spring-beds, sofas, sofa-beds, chairs, and. all siinilar'articles of furniture in which springs are employed.

The obj'ct of the present invention is to provide certainimprovements in this class of work, especially with reference to the means and devices employed in connecting thetops of the springs, whereby an improved flexible top for the spring structure is provided; and the 1nvent1on consists in the constructions and organizations of parts, as herelnafter more fully described, and particularly pointed. outin the appended claims.

The varlous features of my invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in

which the same reference-letters denote thesame or corresponding parts in the several views, and in which- Figure l is a top plan view of a section of springwork provided with the features of my invention and in which the springs are represented only by their top coils for the purpose of clearer illustration. Fig. 2 is a detail side view of a section of one of the cross-bars or brace-rods of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side view of a section of another form of cross-bar or bracerod that maybe employed. Fig.4 is a top perspective view of an end portion of a crossbar or brace-rod in connection with a section of border wire or edge wire with which it is associated and showing a form of lock for these parts that may beemployed. Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5 5iof Fig. 4:. Fig. 6 is a top perspective view of one of the crossvbars and cables of Fig. 1, the view showing a clip applied to the associated parts. Fig. 7 is a sectional View on the line 7 7 of Fig. 6. Figs. 8 and 9 are sectional views on the line 8 9 of-Fig. 6, showing the clip in position and respectively illustrating it before and after SPRINGWORK.

wires of the well-known drop type. The drop-- wires are preferably placed both longitudi- ;nally and transversely on the frarne at such distances apart as are suitable for the charac ter of the work in hand, and the springs S are carried thereon in rows or banks, being supported thereon in any suitable manner, preferably by providingthe supports with bends or corrugations adapted to receive the ends of the springs, and whereby the springs may be seated and sustained at the crossing-points of the supporting-wires by interweaving their lower coils with the wires in a manner now well understood in the art. After the springs are secured to their supports or foundations the border wire or edge wire E (usually metallic) is then attached to the outer edges of the outside rows of springs all the way around, preferably by means of suitable sheet-metal clips csuch, for example. as those of United States Patent No. 608,048 to J. H. Jackson, dated July 26, 1898.

The reference-letter A denotes a metallic cross-rod or brace rod which is attached to the edge wires or border wires at the sides of the spring structure, there being asmany of these braces employed as is desired and preferably one between. adjacent rows of springs, asshown in Fig. l. The braces are made in lengths to correspond to the widths of standard sizes of beds, sofas, &c., and are attached to the edge wires in any suitable manner. It is obvious that theends of the braces may be closed more or less aroundthe edge wires by a pair of pliers to form a perfoot look; but in the preferred form of construction the bracesare made with seats a,

already formed by the turned-over or curved ends, which snap over and embrace the edge wires. The lips a are preferably somewhat beveled or flared in order to guide the edge wires more readily to their seats, and as a convenient means of locking the parts together I provide a tongue (4 formed by stamping out a portion of the metal of the brace and whose end is depressed somewhat, so as to come opposite and against the edge wire when the latter is seated, the tongues having suflicient spring or resiliency to allow the wires to readily pass to their seats and then return to operative position. In practice I prefer to make these cross-rods in the form of flat metallic strips or flat wires; but it is apparent that they may be made of round wire or of wire of any desired shape in crosssection. The cross-bars or brace-rods serve to hold the edge wires parallel with the side portions of the frame, and while they possess the desired amount of flexibility and resilieney they are sufiiciently rigid to hold the edge wires in their normal positions under ordinary strains, so that the edge wires at the sides of the spring structure are not drawn inward when any weight is placed upon the couch, and the top does not bulge or curve under the stress of the pads or cushions which are employed in upholstering and which are tightly drawn across the structure, being rigidly attached to the frame.

The cross-bars or brace-rods are preferably furnished with seats a at intervals and adapted to receive the longitudinal strands or binders B, as wires or cables, which run lengthwise along eaeh row of springs. The longitudinal Wires or cables are fastened to the springs of their associated rows by means of suitable sheet-metal clips 0, such as those of the said Jackson patent, and are similarly secured to the edge wire or border wire at the head and foot of the spring structure.

The longitudinal Wires or cables may be put in either practically straight, so that there will be little or no deflection in them from a straight line along the length of the spring structure, or with sufficient slack between each two springs to permit of their being deflected to a considerable extent, as in Fig. 1. The longitudinal wires or cables fit in the seats a of the cross-bars or brace-rods, which are formed by suitable notches or corrugations therein and which are arranged in pairs in the form shown in Fig. 1, one pair for each strand of the longitudinal wire. The longitudinal wires are brought under greater or less tension, according as theyare placed within the outer or inner seat of each pair, and they may be locked or secured in the seats upon the cross-bars by any suitable means-such, for example, as the sheet-metal clips C. As shown in Fig. 6, the form of clip which I prefer to use for this purpose is composed of a body portion 0 of a length equal to the width of the cross-bar or brace-rod and of suiiicient width to cover and close the seats therein. The clips are provided with suitable end tangs or lugs c, which are adapted to be bent down around the cross-bars or brace-rods, whereby they are secured in place and firmly hold the longitudinal wires from displacement from their seats.

It is obvious that the form of the crossbars or brace-rods may be varied. For example, as shown in Fig. 3, l have illustrated it in the form of a wire formed with a succession of seats or bends or corrugated throughout its length. It is also obvious that when the cross braces or rods are formed from fiat strips they may also be corrugated throughout their entire length and that these corrugations will furnish seats at close intervals, so that any desired adjustment of the longitudinal strands can be obtained. In any of these different forms it is obvious that the longitudinal wires may be laced or secured to the cross braces or rods in any suitable manner and by any suitable means.

I prefer to make the longitudinal strands or binders by twisting small strands of wire into elastic or flexible cables, as clearly shown in 6 and 7. Their only essential characteristic is sufficient flexibility to permit the necessary or desired adjustment or deflection.

By providing seats in the cross rods or braces the longitudinal binders may be laced or secured thereto in such manner that they may be deflected more or less, so that a greater or less tension is thereby put upon the spring-top, the adjustment of the lacing or seating of the binders B providing more or less tension, according to the notch or seat in which the cable is secured. As it is much easier to secure the desired degree of tautness or slack, as the case may be, in the longitudinal wires by deflecting them after they have been run through the structure than by depending on the stress or strain exerted while running them in place, it follows that a more uniform adjustment can be obtained by means of the cross-bars of my invention and that the tension and rigidity of the structure is more uniform throughout the entire top surface than in prior devices. The bracerods of my invention therefore also perform the additional function of acting as tensionrods for the longitudinal binders, as a greater or less tension on these binders is produced by the adjustment afforded by the braces.

It is apparent that all of the parts making up the top of my improved spring struetu re are of metal and are readily and quickly applied and assembled by an ordinary workman without any complicated tools or machines. By reason of this fact and as the parts are made of any suitable size and dimensions I am able to furnish a struetm'e which may be shipped in knockdown form from a central depot to furniture and uphol- IOU steryfactories that have no facilities for preparing or doing metal work. The structures thereby become salable by manufacturers and factories having no facilities for making metal products, as such parties merely assemble the parts, having a supply of different sizes for various lines of goods. The parts are easily set up and assembled and may be used in any sort of work of either regular and standard or odd dimensions. It is obvious that the clips employed at various places in the structure may be of any suitable kind or type or that the various joints or connections may be secured in any suitable manner and that changes and modifications in various details of construction, form, and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from my invention.

By interlocking the brace-rods with the edge wire at opposite points the edge wires are held in their normal positions againstspreading apart as well as against drawing togeth er or collapsing, as under a load or weight or the strain in applying the pad or cushion. By employing a snap-lock on the ends of the brace-wires, such as that shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the ends are readily and easily snapped over the edge wires and secure the edge wires against displacement and distortion.

Having -described my invention, I claim 1. In a device of the class described, the combination with springs having a border wire, of a cross-brace, seats in the ends of the brace to receive the border wire, and a spring-catch carried by the brace and engaging the wire to lock the parts together.

2. In a device of the class described, the com bination with springs having a border wire, of a cross-brace, seats on said cross-brace to receive the edge wire, and flexible'tongues on the brace to lock the parts.

3. In a device of the class described, the com bination with springs having a border wire, of a cross-brace, seatsfor the border wireon the brace formed by the inturned-ends thereof, and flexible tongues formed in the brace and facing the seats.

4.. In a device of the class described, the com bination with springs arranged in rows and having a border wire, of a brace-rod between transverse rows and attached to the border Wire at opposite points to resist inward movement of the border wire, and a tension-wire between longitudinal rows and'connected to the springs and having deflections attached to the brace-rod, the said tension-wire actingin opposition to the latter.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination with springs having a border wire, of a brace-rod attached to the border wire at opposite points to resist in ward movement of the border wire. and tensioning means connected to the springs and adj ustably attached to the brace-rod and acting in opposition tothe latter.

'Z. In a device of the class described the com bination with springs arranged inrows, and flexible longitudinal binding-wires between the rows, of cross-rods, and means toadjustably connect the rods and wires to vary the tension of the latter.

8. In adevice of the classdescribed, the combination withsprings arranged in rows, and

flexible longitudinal binding-wires between the rows, of cross-rods having a plurality of seats between adjacent rows of springs, said seats adapted to'receive said binding-wires.

9. In a device of the class described,the com bination with springs arranged in rows, and flexible longitudinal binding-wires between the rows and connected to the top coils of a row, of tension-rods adjacent the top coils and transverse to the binding-wires and to which the latter are attached.

10. In a device of the class described, the combination with springs arranged in rows, and longitudinal cables between the rows of springs, of tension-rods transverse to said cables and having corrugations to receive the same.

11. In a device of the class described, the combination with springs arranged in rows, and longitudinal flexible binding-wires between the rows of springs, of tension-rods transverse to said wires, seats in the rods for.

the wires, and clips to lock the wires and rods at their crossing-points.

.12. In a spring structure, the-combination with springs, and binding-wires connected to their top coils, of a brace-rod composed of a fiat metallic strip having corrugations'to receive the wires, and clips composed of body portions adaptedto overlie and close the cor- .rugations, and tangs to engage the strip.

13. In a spring structure, the combination with springs arranged in rows, and flexible binding-wires connected to their top coils between the rows, of transverse tension-rods comprising flat strips and having corrugations arranged in pairs and adapted to receive the wires, and clips overlying the wires at their crossing-points with the strips and having tangs to engage the strips.

14. In a spring structure, the combination with springs arranged in rows, and longitudinal flexible cables between the rows and secured to the top coils of a row, of a transverse tension-rod adjacent the top coils and to which the cables are attached to receive the cables at intervals and provided with means to hold the latter to the rod.

15. In a spring structure, the combination with springs arranged in rows, and longitudinal flexible cables between the rows and secured to the top coils of a row, of a transverse tension-rod adjacent the tops of the coils, and means to secure the cables on the rod in deflected positions and against lateral movement.

16. In a spring structure, the combination with springs arranged in rows, and longitudinal flexible cables between the rows and secured to the top coils of a row, of a transverse tension-rod adjacent the tops of the coils, and means to adjustably lace the cables on the rod, and hold them against lateral movement.

17. In a spring structure, the combination with springs arranged in rows. and longitudinal flexible cables between the rows and metal clips to connect the cables to the springs, of a transverse tension-rod adjacent the tops of the coils, and clips to connect the rod and cables.

18. In a spring structure, the combination with springs arranged in rows, and longitudinal flexible cables between the rows and metal clips to connect the cables to the sprin s of a transverse tension-rod adjacent the tops of the coils, and means independent of the springs to connect the rod and cables.

19. A knockdown spring structure (0111- prising a plurality of rows or ranges of the springs, a series of cross-braces adjacent the top coils, and a series of clips to connect the cross-braces and biiuling-wires at their points of crossing.

20. In a device of the class described, the combination with springs having a border wire, of a cross-brace having a seat at each end receiving the border wire, and a catch carried by the bra and associated with each seat and engaging the border wire opposite such seat to lock the parts together.

In testimony whereof I ailix my signatn re in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN A. STAPLES.

Witnesses:

E. MoLrron, J. MoRoBuR'rs. 

